The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs => Topic started by: Christine on June 01, 2018, 12:08:42 PM
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Hiya, I'm new to LBO but I think I should share my latest build with you all, I have already started it on TalkBass so I'll just update all the relevant posts in one lump
They will be made entirely from quarter sawn African Mahogany (FSC sourced) painted black nitro and both using Rocklite finger boards, one in Ebano and the other in Sunadri or ebony and Indian Rosewood substitutes. Other items to be used will be Mojo Thunderbird pickups (UK make) for at least one of them, dual action truss rods, Warwick 2 piece bridge and Hipshot ultralite tuners. There will be mother of pearl inlays on the fingerboard and headstock along with Rocklite Ebano veneers.
I'm not in any great hurry to finish these so i may take a while but so far other than buy some bits I have started wood preparation. The neck laminates have been ripped and stacked and will be left for a while to relieve stresses, the body timbers have been rough planed to an oversize dimension again to allow it to settle a little before planing to size and gluing together. So they are currently sat resting on top of my bench until I'm ready to plane the neck laminates and glue them.
As that seems a very poor start let me introduce you to my tiny workshop and a basic list of what's in it
Most importantly my bench, 10" Saw bench, 14" band saw, 10" planer thicknesser, router table, drill press, 12" disc sander, oscillating bobbin sander. Beyond that there are power tools, loads of hand tools hidden away and a dedicated sharpening station tucked away in the corner behind the bench.
Being so small it's very difficult to keep clean and tidy so I apologise for the dust and the mess
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3923-jpg.3025087/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3927-jpg.3025088/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3926-jpg.3025089/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3925-jpg.3025090/)
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Not a lot gone on, i worked out the neck angle etc with the bridge I'm using. I drew it out on a piece of paper (wall paper! :roflmao: ) and it worked out a 4.35 degrees which is good, I think a Les Paul is 4.5 so I'm pretty close. The Warwick bridge is quite high and will need setting into the top to bring the pickups somewhere close, the tail piece will also need setting in a bit too but I'm happy with that, it should look very nice recessed in. I'm going to have to make a couple of spacers to fit under the pickup rings to allow for the curved of the top but that should be easy enough using black acrylic (I hope)
The only issue I can see will be the edges of the bridge recesses will be unprotected during carving and might break out so Ill dry fit a Mahogany filler piece in there to support it and pull them out after sanding.
So that was today along with lots of sitting in the sun. I might start drawing the plan of the body tonight or maybe tomorrow depending on the weather, then I can make a start making the templates in readiness to start making the twins next week
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Today I had a relaxing day, I got the plan drawn for the body, again on wallpaper (I really must invest in tome decent paper). Whatever it allows me to make a set of templates from it so it will be good enough. I drew a grid in 1" squares and plotted the shape of an OSLP onto it.
I also had an email from Mojo pickups saying my order has been made and have been shipped so with luck they'll be here by Saturday, or Monday at the latest so I can finalise the elevation but I'm probably good there already.
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3931-jpg.3027596/)
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Today' thrilling updates, two of them!! :)
Instalment one, the jig
Well I'm in the habit of making a master jig for bass bodies from 5mm Perspex (acrylic), why? Well a couple of reasons:
1 it's very easy to transfer the pattern from paper to perspex, just copy through it
2 It's a lot easier to make an accurate jig from 5mm than 12 or even 18mm MDF
3 I like to keep a master jig to one side for when the production jig gets damaged accidentally
The pattern was drawn on the jig with a permanent marker and then bandsawed to slightly over side. I then used the disc sander and bobbin sander to get it pretty much spot on before using a file to really make those curves flow, from then it's just a matter of screwing it to some MDF cutting that oversize and routing it to dimension on the router table using a bearing guided bit, the result one accurate jig
I've also drawn some possible cavities for weight saving but I would really love some input on these. My thinking has been to keep a line between bridge and neck joint solid, as much as I can around the control cavity solid but to relive the top and bottom horn to reduce weight but also to try and keep the sound like a solid guitar but also to try and keep it balanced. The sections I was thinking of removing are marked in green; I really would like some thoughts on those before I cut them please :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/23883024-1339-459e-bb59-f6cbc8eac468-jpeg.3028377/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/a2ac836c-bb1b-4b2c-8bd7-dc67c8696c7b-jpeg.3028378/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/652e6c93-8998-46f0-b067-6b6c138b9602-jpeg.3028380/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/804926eb-4ce3-4fc0-9acd-ceced96ea8b1-jpeg.3028381/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/bd76f586-f425-4c69-8275-28a57044431f-jpeg.3028382/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/c483c36a-6794-4312-8c30-ec26e1cf2893-jpeg.3028383/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/f4311631-21fd-4d22-962d-d7061ae9172d-jpeg.3028384/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/d8db8c6b-6baf-4a3d-b18c-843c64986be7-jpeg.3028385/)
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Part 2 of today’s saga :)
Decided to sort out the back blanks of the body. So refaced those and thicknesses them down to 43.5 mm to be finished at 43mm after gluing. I edged one side on the planet to get them flat then rad a hand plane over them to get them ready for glueing. I’m not a believer than a surface straight off the planer is good enough for glueing, you may argue that but my workshop, my rules, end of argument! I also like to give an almost in perceivable hollow along the length of a glue joint, it helps keep the ends tight as the wood shrinks slightly over the years and you can’t do that on a flat bet planer. Both edges planed and put on each other to make sure they’re dead flat (only 0.5mm to spare) then glued and into clamps until tomorrow sometime.
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/26029bd6-2ab0-438e-9c53-a182802a786f-jpeg.3028401/)
Spot the join
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/4e333af5-a650-4fa7-b88f-752154ae7f59-jpeg.3028402/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/2a097888-cdcf-4cfe-aecf-e20b15ec099a-jpeg.3028403/)
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They say google is your friend! Why didn't I look for les Paul weight relieving? Ah well whilst looking through another thread and came across this which answers my question above pretty well
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/gibson-weight-relief-bodies_zps6b6cdc7b-jpg.3029084/)
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I manage to throw away some more sawdust today, yey!!
First job this morning was to finish off the jig to enable routing the shape and the cavities. Doesn't look like much but it took ages :( Ah well done now!
After that I took the body Mahogany out of clamps and cut it in half. Then I planed both sides diagonally both ways to flatten them, 2 passes in each direction was all it took, then with a sharp iron planed along the grain to smooth them, again a couple of passes wad all it took both blanks finished off at about 43.1 / 43.2mm so that's going to plan. too
Next was to draw around the template and bandsaw the blank to shape. next I drew the cavity positions and rough drilled them out, I removed a bit of the waste with a chisel and that was me for the day, cream crackered!
Routing tomorrow perhaps, maybe a day off weather permitting :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3946-jpg.3029295/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3947-jpg.3029296/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3948-jpg.3029297/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3949-jpg.3029298/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3950-jpg.3029301/)
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Pickups arrived :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3954-jpg.3029323/)
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Done a little bit this morning, just routed out the cavities. I'm leaving the outer edge for now, I've ordered a new cutter from Radian tools in the UK 4 Flute Dual Bearing Router Bit 19mm x 51mm seeing as it looks like we'll be leaving the wood showing.
Not sure if I'm going to do any more today, see how I feel after some coffee :)
Some of you might recognise the router, if you do that's the Mk1 model, to give you an idea of how old it is, still on it's original motor whereas the Mk2 I have has had about 5. Funny seeing as they brought out to Mk2 replace the old unreliable motor!
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3955-jpg.3030078/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3956-jpg.3030079/)
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Coffee doesn't half revive you :) Yup I went back out to the workshop, you knew I would didn't you? :roflmao:
Routed in a channel between the switch and control cavity and stuck some shielding in.
Planes the neck laminates and glued them together, well I glued two together, I had enough usable bits to make four necks so I'll glue up the other two in the morning and they can wait for the next job ( a pair of deluxe Thunderbirds :) ). I'd thought I'l lose more bits than I did but they all stayed pretty flat this time; I just lost three to winding.
Oh, just a note, when I glued the body up I mentioned that I didn't think that a surface from the planer was good enough for glueing so I planed them by hand with a slight hollow along their length if you remember. If I did that here I would have a total of eight curved surfaces stuck together which would leave a noticeable curve along the neck. What I did in this case was to use a cabinet scraper with two passes diagonally opposed which left a nice clean glueing surface and dead straight necks
Also in case any of you were wondering what the bench dogs were for there's a picture of one in use
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3957-jpg.3030254/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3958-jpg.3030255/)
You can see the laminate that have wound here
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3959-jpg.3030256/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3960-jpg.3030257/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3961-jpg.3030258/)
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My new cutters arrived today, so tomorrow morning I shall have a go at the shaping of the outside of the twins and get the the tops prepared for gluing on, yey! :)
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This morning I opened the new bearing cutter, a very impressive looking thing it is, it has a split bearing at the shank end, I suppose it can be used in a restricted space? Who knows but it worked well enough.
I also re planed the wood for the top down to 21.25mm (I need 20mm eventually) and jointed it and glued it up. It is sat there now until the morning when I'll plane it flat on one side and glue them to the backs ready for the final bits of shaping etc.
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3962-jpg.3034442/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3963-jpg.3034443/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3964-jpg.3034444/)
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Not in the most enthusiastic mood today but got a bit done. Flattened the board for the top with the try plane and cut the shape out a fair bit oversize. Marked the position of the back on it and then pinned in some panel pins outside of the perimeter to prevent major slippage when clamping the glued surfaces together. I marked the position of the cable rout and applied some shielding tape to that, the rout on the back has a shallow recess to allow for the thickness of this tape if you noticed the other day when i taped that up.. Spread some glue and clamped them both up. Ho Hum, wait until tomorrow now :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3966-jpg.3035271/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3967-jpg.3035272/)
This afternoon I'm going to work out the jig for the neck joint and the pickup routs or at least I hope to; I'm expecting a delivery from StewMac with some springs and some pickup foam, I'll decide which to use when they get here. I'm going to rout the neck pocket and the pickup sockets at the same angle as the neck angle.
Then there's the bridge, I'm not sure what to do there, either rout them flat or to rout at the approximate angle of the body carve, I'm thinking flat as it allows a little bit of extra clearance to access the adjusting screws and to put strings in. What would you do?
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First of all, welcome to the Last Bass Outpost. We're glad to have you join us. Secondly, it's way cool you've decided to build these Les Paul basses. I'm no builder, but I'd imagine you'd want to position the bridge flat instead of on an angle so the saddles, when adjusted for height, will move on a vertical axis perpendicular to the strings. Good luck and I'm excited to see how the builds progress.
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First of all, welcome to the Last Bass Outpost. We're glad to have you join us. Secondly, it's way cool you've decided to build these Les Paul basses. I'm no builder, but I'd imagine you'd want to position the bridge flat instead of on an angle so the saddles, when adjusted for height, will move on a vertical axis perpendicular to the strings. Good luck and I'm excited to see how the builds progress.
Thank you :) I'm thinking flat too but that will actually set the bridge at an angle of 4.5degrees to the strings or the neck angle anyway. I don't see that being a problem if the height is sorted before the strings are intonated. Ideally I suppose it should be sat at the same angle as the strings but that would look daft on the carved top
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Actually here's a Warwick bridge set into an LP, looks flat
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I think you're on the right track and you're probably right about the neck angle being negligible as well.
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This is gonna be good :)
I'm curious, do you have a website or shop or something with other builds you've done? Would love to see some of your completed work!
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Actually here's a Warwick bridge set into an LP, looks flat
Welcome, and thanks for your posts.
I believe the Warwick bridge does sit flat on a Les Paul bass but there is a neck angle. Hopefully a member who owns one will confirm this.
The Warwicks I've seen all have the bridge recessed b/c there's no neck angle.
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Welcome, and thanks for your posts.
I believe the Warwick bridge does sit flat on a Les Paul bass but there is a neck angle. Hopefully a member who owns one will confirm this.
The Warwicks I've seen all have the bridge recessed b/c there's no neck angle.
Welcome, and thanks for your posts.
I believe the Warwick bridge does sit flat on a Les Paul bass but there is a neck angle. Hopefully a member who owns one will confirm this.
The Warwicks I've seen all have the bridge recessed b/c there's no neck angle.
No I don't sorry, I used to be a cabinet maker, I had my own workshops and we made a few basses and guitars then but these last few years I've been looking after my mum who had dementia and a brain tumour so I've not had the time. I did make a 7enderbird a couple of years ago but that was little more than a body rout and paint job< there's a pic below.
I know what you mean about the bridge being recessed but the carving on the Les Paul top means that the 16th fret is about 1/2" below the body at the pickups even with the neck flat so there's no getting away from that neck angle. I like an angled neck, I think they play more naturally somehow
Fenderbird, bridge and TB+ pups courtesy of Scott (GodofThunder)
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Nuce work so far! I have an LPB-3 but unfortunately I left it at our rehearsal space last weekend. But from memory I'd say the Warwick bridge is recessed flat related to the back of the body plane, not to the neck angle. Same goes for the pickup cavities. Despite the pickup rings being slanted to the neck angle the pickups really don't have enough wiggle room inside to actually follow the string angle perfectly.
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Nice work, and welcome!
7enderbirds are what brought me here originally, and I love the one you built for Scott.
I was previously unaware that the LPB-3 used a Warwick bridge.
I really like how that looks.
What scale length do you have planned for these?
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Nice work, and welcome!
7enderbirds are what brought me here originally, and I love the one you built for Scott.
I was previously unaware that the LPB-3 used a Warwick bridge.
I really like how that looks.
What scale length do you have planned for these?
Thank you :)
They're going to be 34"
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Nuce work so far! I have an LPB-3 but unfortunately I left it at our rehearsal space last weekend. But from memory I'd say the Warwick bridge is recessed flat related to the back of the body plane, not to the neck angle. Same goes for the pickup cavities. Despite the pickup rings being slanted to the neck angle the pickups really don't have enough wiggle room inside to actually follow the string angle perfectly.
Thank you, I have or shall we say decided to mount the pickups at an angle to follow the strings. It seems to make sense to me that they do, I can see why Gibson don't though it's a lot of extra work, although with an overhead router it would be relatively easy, oh for a bigger workshop!
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Welcome... we have another maker of fine furniture that makes instruments these days too... another who is presently building an LP...
Comercial or personal builds, out of curiosity...?
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Welcome... we have another maker of fine furniture that makes instruments these days too... another who is presently building an LP...
Comercial or personal builds, out of curiosity...?
Thank you. Who else is a furniture maker here?
Both, I'll keep one and put the other up for sale
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Today I took the glued bodies out of clamps and trimmed the excess with the bandsaw. Then I flushed the tops on the router table, when I looked at them I had a oh heck moment as there was what appeared to be an open glue line all around the join but when I sanded a bit of the top op the disc sander it turned out to be just a little glue that had discoloured the back at the very corner and comes out with the slightest sanding, PHEW LOL; that had me going for a few seconds. You can see the line in the photographs, it looks just like an open glue line, in hindsight there was no way that I could have ended up with an open glue line but I still fell for it.
Next I scribed a line at 49mm all around which will be the line to carve the top to but also the line at which the bottom of the fretboard will sit at the neck body interface. I marked the position of the neck joint and pickup pocket routs and drilled out the waste to cut back on the amount of noise from the router. I fixed the routing jig to the body with a couple of screws, one through the point of the bridge and one near the edge where the wood will be carved away so no holes will be left after the body's done. I routed the neck joint on one body but then realised I had made the jig too shallow for the pickup pockets so I made a perspex spacer, I'll fit that and finish the routing tomorrow. The weather picked up so we went for a walk on the beach, it seemed a lot more fun than woodwork :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3969-jpg.3036920/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3970-jpg.3036923/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3972-jpg.3036924/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3974-jpg.3036925/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3975-jpg.3036926/)
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Carlo... regular builder of originals and Peter Cook tributes... iirc was a manufacturer of various items off in the the far east...
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Who else is a furniture maker here?
Orville Gibson made his early instruments out of used furniture………...
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Orville Gibson made his early instruments out of used furniture………...
I never knew that! A lot of sense in that actually, it has had a lot of time to settle and do it's own stress relief but I do hope he didn't use his grannies sideboard without her permission :)
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Had a difficult day today, will explain in a bit. Started off where I left off yesterday and finished routing the pickup pockets. Then I moved on to making a jig to rout the bridge pieces which is where I had bother, no idea why but could I get the shape of the tailpiece right?? Three goes it took me before I got there, after that it was just a simple rout and that was done. I drilled through from the bridge, bridge pickup and tail piece for wiring; the neck pickup I got very lucky in that the front of the rout (which was angled remember) just nicked the rout underneath for the switch wiring so I can feed the pickup wire straight through there. I'd had a belly full after all that so I went and sat in the garden and had a nice cup of tea :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3976-jpg.3038182/)
Some shiny bits just for fun :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3977-jpg.3038183/)
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With the thickness of those bodies I thought you were going to do a arched/carved top, but now that you've routed it doesn't look that way anymore. Serious basses.
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With the thickness of those bodies I thought you were going to do a arched/carved top, but now that you've routed it doesn't look that way anymore. Serious basses.
Give me a break I've only got one pair of hands and a ton of housework to do too!! :)
Below
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Phew it's been a hot one today! Not happy I have a blister on my thumb! How you ask? I'll tell you how :roflmao:
Started off routing a shoulder at the level of the top of the binding to give myself a clean edge to work to while shaping the tops, yes shaping at last WOOHOO!! After that I drew a rough contour map of the general curves I expected to get, after that well it was shaping time. I used a thing called an Arbourtech, a rather nasty carving attachment that fits onto a grinder, this is a method I do not recommend, it can reduce your guitar body to firewood in less time than it takes to blink. So why am I using one, I've had a lot of practice with it but even then it's a worrying procedure.
After rough carving I used some small thumb planes (blister!! :( ) to just get it somewhere like a shape at the back, the front couldn't be done until the angle for the neck/fretboard had been cut. For that I just made a jig, basically a sloping bit of MDF at 4.5 degrees with a hole in it to access the top of the body. There was some spare wood the jig didn't reach so I whipped those off with a drawknife, a bit like a massive spokeshave then took a bench plane to flatten it. Finally I took the thumb planes and some tiny spokeshaves and tuned the shape to something that looked right, it's sort of an intuitive process, try it you'll see. After that I was tired so I still need to tune the shape on the second body but I'm happy with the first, that just needs the neck fitting and sorting any snags before sanding etc.
Oh and I also checked the neck blanks for any movement, admittedly they are still blanks and any movement would be unlikely but if there is any movement at this stage then the blank is firewood. There was none but some of you may be interested to know how I checked. To see if there is any twist on a narrow board you used a gadget called a pair of winding sticks, these are basically two parallel wooden straight edges with two inlays on each one with a pair of black (Ebony) and one with a pair of white (in my case Ivory veneers from a piano), as luck would have it I couldn't find them so I used a pair of 12" rules one balanced at either end from which you can sight down to see any twist (wind) exaggerated by the length of the winding sticks. Handy thing to know
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3978-jpg.3039268/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3979-jpg.3039230/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3980-jpg.3039231/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3981-jpg.3039232/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3982-jpg.3039244/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3985-jpg.3039248/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3986-jpg.3039250/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3990-jpg.3039251/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3993-jpg.3039252/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3994-jpg.3039291/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3988-jpg.3039253/)
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Wow! That's impressive!
Thank you for sharing this build step by step. I love seeing all the different stages.
Very inspiring.
And welcome to The Outpost.
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Wow! That's impressive!
Thank you for sharing this build step by step. I love seeing all the different stages.
Very inspiring.
And welcome to The Outpost.
Thank you :)
You have a small part to play in this strangely, if it hadn't been for your book I would probably be sat relaxing in the sun instead of feeling the need to build basses again. I've never built a Les Paul type bass before so I'm making this up as I go, if nothing else it shows why a Les Paul costs more than a lot of basses/guitars out there. Most of the basses I've built have been Fenderesque things, just so simple to build in comparison
I also enjoyed the photographs from TBird1958's visit to you very much, you have some wonderful basses stacked up there, a museum in itself
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Thank you :)
You have a small part to play in this strangely, if it hadn't been for your book I would probably be sat relaxing in the sun instead of feeling the need to build basses again. I've never built a Les Paul type bass before so I'm making this up as I go, if nothing else it shows why a Les Paul costs more than a lot of basses/guitars out there. Most of the basses I've built have been Fenderesque things, just so simple to build in comparison
I also enjoyed the photographs from TBird1958's visit to you very much, you have some wonderful basses stacked up there, a museum in itself
Haha, that's a nice side effect of the book!
But I am not Uwe! I am Rob.
Uwe Hornung is the one with the impressive collection.
I am the guy who made the book.
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Haha, that's a nice side effect of the book!
But I am not Uwe! I am Rob.
Uwe Hornung is the one with the impressive collection.
I am the guy who made the book.
Whoops sorry, I thought you were one in the same. Well The book I own, the collection is something I never will so assembling to book was a better deal for me and I get to take you to bed at night too LOL
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Uwe is the one with the red clown bass. I'm the one with the purple clown bass.
(https://13376708-689899567947305371.preview.editmysite.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/img-3895_orig.jpg)
You see, we're identical twins. So your mistake is forgiven. :mrgreen:
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Wow! That's impressive!
Thank you for sharing this build step by step. I love seeing all the different stages.
Very inspiring.
And welcome to The Outpost.
+1 :)
It's nice to see someone building a beast such as these using skill verses Cad Cam machinery! Great job & welcome to the LBO!
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+1 :)
It's nice to see someone building a beast such as these using skill verses Cad Cam machinery! Great job & welcome to the LBO!
Thank you :) If I had a CNC I'd be using it but this is much more fun
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Uwe is the one with the red clown bass. I'm the one with the purple clown bass.
(https://13376708-689899567947305371.preview.editmysite.com/uploads/1/3/3/7/13376708/img-3895_orig.jpg)
You see, we're identical twins. So your mistake is forgiven. :mrgreen:
You're a lot younger than I imagined, I thought you would be around my age, 21 LOL
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This pic was taken 7 years ago.
I'm actually joining the old fart club shortly, as I'm turning 50 in july... :o
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This pic was taken 7 years ago.
I'm actually joining the old fart club shortly, as I'm turning 50 in july... :o
You're still a young whippersnapper. :P
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This pic was taken 7 years ago.
I'm actually joining the old fart club shortly, as I'm turning 50 in july... :o
Not far behind me then :)
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Oh, there is a carve job after all; still super thick bodies (me likey). Not for weanies - if you're asking how much they weigh, they're too heavy for you.
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Oh, there is a carve job after all; still super thick bodies (me likey). Not for weanies - if you're asking how much they weigh, they're too heavy for you.
Thank you for your positive input. Guess what, there'll be a neck on them too if you wait for it, they'll be even heavier then!
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Yesterday I just finished the shaping of the second body and called it a day, hardly worth an update.
Today I played around with the neck joint, I made a quick MDF jig to cut the tenon on the router table and screwed it to the top of the neck along the centreline where the truss rod will be set in next week. I roughed out the tenon on the bandsaw and routed the neck. They turned out just a tad tight so a couple of wipes with a file saw them a perfect fit. Then I semi scribed them into the body but left the tenons needing to move forward by about 1mm when the neck has had some shape cut into it so by scribing the neck join this will pull in nicely. I did the rough scribing with a dovetail saw and then pared off anything that looked to be sticking out. The tops of the necks are still about 3mm proud of the surface of the body, I'll sort that out next week after thinning just to make 100% sure everything stays straight and flat
So for now we have two massive blanks for the necks waiting to be thinned and the scarf joints cut for the angled headstock will probably do that on Sunday, I have other things to do until then unfortunately
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3997-jpg.3041268/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4001-jpg.3041270/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4002-jpg.3041272/)
And for those who have been wanting to see what I keep in my drawers
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_3998-jpg.3041287/)
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No hands on a bit of wood jokes please... (where's Sam the Eagle when you need him...) :o
Some of those chisels a very vintage...?
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No hands on a bit of wood jokes please... (where's Sam the Eagle when you need him...) :o
Some of those chisels a very vintage...?
30 years ish, I bought them all together at a London woodworking show. Can you tell which are my favourites and which have never been used?
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Great tools. I saved everything I could frome my grandfathers workshop, some of the tools were from his father as well.
There is just something with old tools, I have some hammers with oak handle that must be a hundred years old. I feel that I can do anything with them, they are divine hammers indeed!
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Great tools. I saved everything I could frome my grandfathers workshop, some of the tools were from his father as well.
There is just something with old tools, I have some hammers with oak handle that must be a hundred years old. I feel that I can do anything with them, they are divine hammers indeed!
There's a lot to be said for old tools, I don't understand the science but the quality of the steel was better pre WW2 especially for cutting tools. I come across old plane irons sometimes and take a punt, once sorted out they really do hold a good edge that you just can't get with the modern day equivelent
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... Can you tell which are my favourites and which have never been used?
Duh... :mrgreen:
I have several similar ones that belonged to my maternal grandfather... similar work to you... ended his working days as a ship's carpenter at Brown's in Glasgow...
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I had a bit of spare time this morning so I pressed on. Ripped the neck blank down to slightly oversize and marked out the position of the scarf joint which worked out at 14 degrees with a 10mm (+ veneer 3mm later) at nut length minus 40mm. I made a jig for the table saw to cut the scarf but in hindsight I should have just bandsawn it and planed square and flat, not a jig I'll be keeping! Once planed I glued them together and now they can sit until Sunday when I'll get back to the workshop :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4004-jpg.3043313/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4005-jpg.3043314/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4006-jpg.3043315/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4008-jpg.3043317/)
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Wimminfolk working wood wonderously?
Je suis impressed. Très impressed, Christine.
And you're really not ... 16 ...?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vib9VMA0v-w
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Wimminfolk working wood wonderously?
Je suis impressed. Très impressed, Christine.
And you're really not ... 16 ...?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vib9VMA0v-w
Closer to 21 :)
Actually if you rearrange the numbers in sixteen you'll find my year of birth :sad:
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Very nice Christine.
That headstock looks very thin. Are you going to glue a veneer on top of that?
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Very nice Christine.
That headstock looks very thin. Are you going to glue a veneer on top of that?
Yes, there's a 3mm Rocklite Ebano veneer to go on top of that, it's exactly 10mm now so 13mm overall
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Ah okay. Perfect. Looking forward to the rest of the build process.
A few years ago I built a Les Paul Bass too. But my skills and tools are not nearly as professional as yours... :o
http://www.enkoo.nl/lespaulbass2015.html
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Very cool Rob.did the decade control do much on the bass?
Hi Christine,i'm loving the work you are doing there.
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Very cool Rob.did the decade control do much on the bass?
Rather subtle differences. But audible. My favorite is the second position on the rotary switch.
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Rather subtle differences. But audible. My favorite is the second position on the rotary switch.
What is a decade control?
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Wow it's been hot today. Didn't get in the workshop yesterday, I think I slept most of the day.
Started the day by planing the scarf joint flat, I checked the necks for flat and they were both still good. The next step was routing the truss rod slot then making the template for the headstock then drew it onto the wood and bandsawed the shape out then used the offcuts to add on the missing bits on the wings. While the glue was drying I played around with the placement for the tuners as my initial drawings didn't look right. I made a test piece from some MDF just to be sure.
Once the glue had dried I again bandsawed the rest to shape and marked out the plan view of the neck and cut that slightly oversize. Now it looks more like a bass.
Tomorrow I will I think scribe in the neck joint to fit the body then make a start on the fret board, actually more accurately I'll make fret template for my home made mitre box.
Moving on from there, I'll leave the necks be until the fretboards are fully finished then I'll have a last check for flat, glue on the headstock veneer, cut the truss rod access slot and drill through before gluing on the fretboards. That I think will be the ongoing plan
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4011-jpg.3046713/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4012-jpg.3046714/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4010-jpg.3046716/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4013-jpg.3046717/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4015-jpg.3046718/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4017-jpg.3046719/)
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What is a decade control?
That is the rotary switch with eleven positions (from 0-10).
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That is the rotary switch with eleven positions (from 0-10).
Gotcha :)
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Progressively larger shunt capacitance in the tone circuit that changes the midrange character somewhat.
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It's a Lester Polfus sorta thang...……….
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As you may have guessed I've been away for a few days but this is what I've been doing since the last update.
Being a natural skinflint I made a fret template and started building a new mitre box as I treated myself to a new saw last week, a Pax instead of my old E.T. Roberts and Lee. The fret template is made from 5mm x 70mm aluminium bar, I used the method shown by Susie Gardner in this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9A_yQ4Odog&t=1117s
The mitre box is unambitious for now, I'm considering buying a decent one or possibly using the idea Susie also posted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv23LHFmNTg
For now it is accurate enough and I can adjust the height by using shims
and this is it:
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4028-jpg.3052307/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4029-jpg.3052308/)
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Thanks for those links!
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Wow, that's a lot of work! Impressive.
I think i'd rather buy one at StewMac :mrgreen:
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Wow, that's a lot of work! Impressive.
I think i'd rather buy one at StewMac :mrgreen:
And miss the challenge? I love making my own things when I'm able, I want a 34 1/2" scale too and StewMac don't sell one as far as I know but I think my hands need a rest before I consider making another :)
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Not got a real update today but just a look at my newest piece of technology which I really like. A Dremel 4000 which seems OK, I bought it to make inlaying a little easier than a big router and a chisel. The bit I really like is the base, it's the Veritas Dremel base, plunging like a real router and with a precision depth stop which is rather cool and very easy to set up. The base itself is made from Aluminium and is a delight to use, quite weighty for stability and dead flat. Cost me the grand total of £49 from Ebay in the UK; highly recommended as a base
I also got some downward spiral cutters, 3 x 3mm, 3 x 1mm and 3 x 0.5mm, tried them all and they are great so I'm looking forward to getting on with the fretboard and headstock inlays now :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4031-jpg.3053332/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4032-jpg.3053333/)
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cut the fret slots into the fretboards and scribed one of the neck joints to the body.
I also played around with the Rocklite to see how it worked compared to real wood, in short, easier but I'll update the Rocklite thread with that
The fretslots look as if they don't line up in this photo but they do (honest :) )
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4035-jpg.3054185/)
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Marked out one of the fretboards for the Mother of Pearl markers. Here's what I did:
Stuck a bit of masking tape over each fret gap to be inlayed. Marked the centre line of the board, marked the centre line of each fret gap. Marked the fret number on each inlay and the centre lines of each. Stuck masking tape to the bottom of each inlay and cut off the waste with a scalpel. Marked the position with a pencil of each inlay on the fretboard. Put a blob of superglue on the masking tape and put the inlay masking tape down on the fretboard and squared it off with a set square. Marked the fretboard with a scalpel very carefully. Peeled off the masking tape, the inlay and removed the masking tape from the bottom and put them carefully to one side.
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4041-jpg.3055343/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4040-jpg.3055344/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4042-jpg.3055345/)
Due to a muck up ordering the Mother of Pearl inlays I'm still short a set so I can't proceed with the Rosewood board until they come but I did a bit of routing on the Ebony one.
For my inlays I routed close to the line and then pared to the line with a sharp chisel, apart from one little bit shown below where I made a slight wonder over the line with the router. My excuse is there was too much dust around the cutter LOL. After that I put a bit of masking tape on the cutter to blow it away and it never happened again. Chiselling was the first time I really found a difference to real wood, I don't really know how to describe it but paring Ebony, it's a clean forceful sort of cut, the Ebano felt more like paring balsa but harder, that said it cut very cleanly, certainly good enough for me.
Anyway, the inlays fitted a treat with no stress at all other than that one little incident of my own doing. It cut so cleanly I'm thinking I may get away with no real need for edge filling with glue and dust (apart from that one bit shown again with the inlay).
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4047-jpg.3056473/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4046-jpg.3056474/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4044-jpg.3056476/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4048-jpg.3056482/)
The good news of the day was I got my sander back from being repaired at Festool, the switch broke and it needed a new set of gears but bare in mind it is 25 years old and has had a very hard life and this is it's first repair :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4049-jpg.3056483/)
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Old tools refuse to die, my father was in the metalworking business and most of his old stuff are still alive and kicking. I can't say the same for some new stuff he bought to "upgrade"...
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Very nice Christine.
Love these posts with your impressive work, cool tools and videos. Keep 'em coming!
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Today I screwed up again, nothing major but a silly mistake, I forgot to rout the neck binding rebate before radiusing :( ah well have to do it another way tomorrow, still not the end of the world just a waste of time :)
So as you may have guessed I radiused the Ebano fretboard, first though I shaped the neck using a jig that fits into the truss rod slot, then in my hurry to radius the fretboard I did that and then shaped it instead of shaping, routing then radiusing. After all that i glued in the Mother of Pearl and sanded them down to 320 grit for now until I fir the binding and clean it up then I can sand down to 3000 grit and see how we look after that; any finer and I'm off shopping again! The inlays were a good fit, I needed to press them in using a vice (linoleum jaw linings) but the fit was good, just that tiny nick to fill, I'm very pleased with that job, lets see how I get on with the headstock inlays hopefully next week.
The inlays for the other neck arrived today, so I will get them sorted tomorrow with luck.
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4053-jpg.3057590/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4054-jpg.3057591/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4050-jpg.3057592/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4052-jpg.3057593/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4055-jpg.3057594/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4056-jpg.3057601/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4058-jpg.3057595/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4059-jpg.3057596/)
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This is a great thread!
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This is a great thread!
Thanks Rob :) It's been a long time since I made a bass on this scale, lots to learn again. I'm at the stage now where I'm really looking forward to getting it painted and starting another LOL
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Yesterday I worked on the Rosewood fretboard, got it inlaid. Turned out that the new binding cutter I bought wouldn't do the fretboard because the bearing was too far down from the cutters so today I just cut both on the router table and stuck the bindings on with CA. I started with a thick gel type with a slow setting time so I could get the inner edge of the mitre exactly in the right place then used a thin CA to do the rest, horrible stuff, gets everywhere, made a right mess of my finger nails :( After that I scraped the bindings flush and sanded the faces through to 3000 grit which looks very good. The Mother of Pearl is stunning and no filler used at all, feeling a little smug about that LOL :) I finished off the day by putting a thin coat of Lemon oil on the faces, will give a couple more before fretting them
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4060-jpg.3059592/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4061-jpg.3059593/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4075-jpg.3059594/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4077-jpg.3059595/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4078-jpg.3059596/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4079-jpg.3059597/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4080-jpg.3059598/)
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Wow, those fingerboards turns out great!
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Wow, those fingerboards turns out great!
Thank you, I can't tell you how pleased I am with them. I'm 100% sold on Rocklite after using it, I honestly had to remind myself all the time while working on it that it wasn't the real thing; I can't recommend the stuff enough in these times where environmental impact is of such important in our everyday lives and CITES is having such an affect on the movement of musical instruments/timbers across international borders. Even without that I would still recommend it, it is lovely stuff to work with and to look at/touch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cR0VSQQwIAs
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So today's thrilling update, I know you're not sleeping nights wondering what will happen next :roflmao:
First job this morning was to drill the switch and control pot holes, I did this perpendicular to the surface rather than to the back so the knobs don't look cock eyed. I looked at some Les Paul guitars in PMT Cardiff last weekend to see how they were drilled, strangely some were vertical and some where in line with the contours, it was the ones high on the wall that were angled so in hindsight they would have been customs as they cost an arm and a leg..
Next was to sand the body contours and make them look less like I attacked them with an axe, after that I did the sides and the back but only to 80 grit until the binding is in and all other work done then I'll take it down to 240 or 320 grit depending on how it looks. No need to go further than that on wood, the marks will never show even at 240 with clear lacquer, the problem with going finer is that the grits start removing soft wood rather than the harder and ripples start to appear, it's quite hard to stop that and to be honest there isn't any real advantage to do so on your average timber like Oak, Mahogany, Ash etc.
The last job of the day was to check the necks for flat and yes they were, excellent news so a couple of wipes with the plane and then I sanded the headstock and glued the headstock veneers on, after an hour in clamps I trimmed the veneer flush and being the daft bat I am I stuck the bits together to have a first look at what they were going to look like. I won't comment on that, make your own mind up. The top of the neck body isn't flush thith the top of the body yet, I need to trim the bottom of the tenon but I'm leaving that until shaping time
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4083-jpg.3060483/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4084-jpg.3060484/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4082-jpg.3060485/)
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Well for north Wales the weather has been hot these last few weeks but the last two have been baking, I had the day off yesterday but decided to try working outside today and enjoy the sun. It started out lovely but eventually it got too hot and I ended up with a towel draped over my head trying to keep the sun off, I had a magnifying visor on so I couldn't wear a hat. I got some done and now I'm inside cooling off.
I set up a makeshift bench outside, literally a saw horse and a metalworking vice clamped to it to hold my saw table. then I took my designs for the headstock inlays and, well confession first, I nearly flamingo'd up with the name as my written Welsh isn't that good but basically "the dragon" is "Y Ddraig" and plain "Dragon" is "Draig" so disaster averted. So I took my design and with a sharp scalpel cut out some of the sections and glued them with Titebond to a Mother of Pearl blank then cut them out, each time I cut a piece I turned it upside down and glued it to a mirror image of the design so it can then be transferred to the headstock. I'm sure you all get the drift and after 4 hours sawing and filing I ended up with one dragon ready for inlaying into a headstock.
Not sure if I want to do the other tomorrow or do one of the Draig inlays for which I have some lovely dark green Abalone
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4088-jpg.3062459/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4087-jpg.3062461/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4085-jpg.3062462/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4086-jpg.3062463/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4090-jpg.3062464/)
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Cool inlays.
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Another hot morning in the sun cutting Abalone today, I cut a couple of the Draig inlays. After I drilled the headstocks for the tuners and marked and routed the holes for the inlays and stuck them in, not quite as easy as the square fretboard inlays and yes a little black epoxy was needed.
Just rough sanded and wetted to give an idea
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4091-jpg.3063737/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4093-jpg.3063738/)
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Gorgeous work...
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Looking good!
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Lovely work! 8)
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I'm in awe of your work
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Me too! Most impressive.
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Will there be video demos of these when done? :popcorn:
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I haven't chimed in yet, but WOW, this is some cool work. :toast: I mean just the woodworking alone. Now inlay work? Looking forward to finished product.
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Thank you everyone, you are very kind, I'm lucky I have the time to waste doing a little extra
Will there be video demos of these when done? :popcorn:
Videos?? No chance, then you'll see straight through me, I am the worlds worst player, period! I never got past palying in punk bands even at my age :-\ I will put some sound clips up though, at least I can practice for those LOL
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Did the second dragon today, I left a little more space between the pieces, I think it works slightly better. Will inlay it tomorrow, got a bit of a headache tonight after too much sun despite wearing an huge old floppy hat I found
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4094-jpg.3064587/)
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Thank you everyone, you are very kind, I'm lucky I have the time to waste doing a little extra
Videos?? No chance, then you'll see straight through me, I am the worlds worst player, period! I never got past palying in punk bands even at my age :-\ I will put some sound clips up though, at least I can practice for those LOL
Ah, too bad. Never be embarrassed about playing, especially as we get older, I say! But I understand. Surely there is at least one bassist in your part of Wales who'd consent to be filmed playing a beautiful custom bass?
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Surely there is at least one bassist in your part of Wales who'd consent to be filmed playing a beautiful custom bass?
Call Roger Glover. I met him on the street in Oslo mid 90's, if I ever bump into him again I'll ask him for you :)
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I set the last inlays in the other headstock today, looks good I think
Well that will be it now for a couple of weeks, we're off on holiday to the distant land of England, I will take a crucifix and plenty of garlic with me obviously :roflmao: When I'm back it will be bind the headstock, cut the trussrod access slot and drill it's hole, Finish the neck tenon, fret the fingerboad fit the side dots and stick it on before carving the neck.
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_4095-jpg.3065360/)
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We're back off holiday so I had a few hours in the workshop today.
I routed the headstock for the truss rod access slot and then drilled the hole for the nut to fit into.The truss rods were fitted and a strip of masking tape put over then to stop glue getting in the slot and fouling the rods.
I rolled the frets to about an 8" radius, cut the wire into lengths and started trimming the ends with a grinding wheel in a Dremel, fiddly but it worked OK. I fitted the frets using a press and nipped off the ends. That was about it other than to make a clamping caul to protect the fretboard when I do eventually glue it to the neck which should be later this week daily life permitting :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5095-jpg.3084308/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5093-jpg.3084306/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5096-jpg.3084309/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5100-jpg.3084312/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5099-jpg.3084313/)
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Well today I screwed up a little, not a disaster just a set back:
I started off this morning by finishing off the tenons for the neck joints, so they're ready to glue now.
After that I turned to the head stocks for the binding, my first attempt at 3 ply binding, ah so you can see this coming :roflmao: First job was to create a form to bend and glue the 3 x 0.5mm binding strips together, so that was made from some MDF with foam double sided tape as a gasket sort of thing to keep an even pressure while the glue set (acetone actually). Next I cut the binding strips to size and warmed them and clamped them up in the jig and warmed them again, then I loosened the clamps one at a time and with a syringe applied some acetone to the bindings which welds them together and tightened them up while making sure they were bedded down properly and left them to set for an hour before finally taking them out, so far so good.
I measured the thickness of the finished laminate and it was 1.48mm, ideal I thought and routed the rebate in the headstock at 1.5mm and thankfully only at 4.5mm deep for the 6.25 binding strip. Next bit was to clean the bottom edge of the laminated strips, I did this by glueing a piece of 150 grit sandpaper onto a strip of plywood and sanded the bottom of the strip on that before cleaning off the inner corners. Finally it was glueing time so I put the strip in place and got some masking tape to hold it in place vertically with a bit left on top to flip over to hold it horizontally. I applied some thin CA and flipped the tape over and made sure the strip was well in and properly fitted.
So far so good and all looked well, after another hour I removed the masking tape and started to scrape the tops of the strip, it looked great, next was the turn of the sides, ah now here it is: What was pretty much dead flush was now sticking out proud by a fair bit, well spherical objects! I scraped away to get it flush and the entire cream outer laminate was removed, I wasn't happy, I may even have sworn but I can't really remember if I did or not LOL. All I could do was remove the glued in bindings but as they were reasonably consistent at 0.5mm proud I used a 2mm rebate 5mm deep to remove the. I didn't have any more binding so that's now on order and fingers crossed will be here Friday so at least I can get it done by the weekend.
Well that's something learnt, at least it only cost a little time and money not the whole neck (s). I'm not 100% sure what exactly happened yet, I'll measure up on Friday morning when I'm back in the workshop but I suspect it was the process of glueing with CA that has caused some sort of swelling. I didn't photograph the damaged sides, I was too cross so I'll leave that to you're imagination but just think a very tidy looking black banding instead of cream :)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5120-jpg.3085428/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5121-jpg.3085429/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5124-jpg.3085431/)
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Sort of back in the workshop today, mostly waiting for the replacement binding to arrive but out postman was late as usual and didn't arrive until nearly 4pm so at least I can get that redone tomorrow.
What I did do was rout the recesses for the control cavity covers and made a former for the body bindings so I should get those done tomorrow too
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5126-jpg.3087698/)
(http://)
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Morning campers :)
For today's thrilling instalment hold on to your seats :) First job was to glue together one of the headstock bindings and the body binding. After that I set them aside and routed the binding rebate on the bodies, this time I left an extra half a millimetre, better to need to scrape a bit of wood and go through that again. I ran into a small problem while routing the rebate in the bodies: When I made the routing jig some years ago the base I was routing didn't have such a dramatic carved top as the twins but this time the base of the router carriage fouled on the top of the body so I had to cut a bot away to give it some clearance, after that all went well, so if you ever need to make one, bare that in mind :)
Then after some time I took the bindings out of the formers and glued up the next lot before glueing in the new bindings, then once dry I cleaned them up and prepared the headstock for the second lot of bindings which were formed once the former was free again. I cut the mitre joints freehand with a sharp chisel then welded them to the existing with acetone before finishing off by glueing them in with CA. So at the end of the day we have two sets of binding ready to be cleaned up before I can trim the neck before fitting the fretboards and carving the back of the neck
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5127-jpg.3088895/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5128-jpg.3088896/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5129-jpg.3088897/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5131-jpg.3088898/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5133-jpg.3088902/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5135-jpg.3088903/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5136-jpg.3088904/)
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Not much of an update today, I have a sore foot, not quite sure what I've done but probably a pulled tendon, I had to give up working today because it was hurting too much to stand on. I'll get it sorted at the hospital tomorrow, going to a gig tonight and I don't want to risk missing that LOL
So I cleaned up and scraped the binding and sided of one of the bodies and that's looking good. I had hoped to get both done as well as the holes for the jack sockets drilled and the jack plates rebated flush but that is going to have to wait until I can get back on my feet. No pics today, I forgot my phone and it hurt too much to walk back into the house to get it, so next time.
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It was a lovely day here so I hobbled out into the garden and decided to do what I could with bits on my knee, which wasn't much but still it all helps.
I finish sanded the faces of both headstocks and sprayed them with nitro sanding sealer from a rattle can, I couldn't have got my spray gear out to save my life but that is fine. After a couple of coats I glued the fret boards on. Finally I pulled the tape off the second body and scraped the top of the bindings flush. I have already fully scrapped the first but I couldn't do the second as I would need to have the body secured in a vice and that means standing and I can't do that.,
That's me now until after the weekend I suspect, we're off out on Friday until Saturday so maybe Sunday depending on how I feel
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5137-jpg.3093376/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5140-jpg.3093377/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5138-jpg.3093379/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5139-jpg.3093382/)
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I am sorry I am late to the game, but this is an amazing old school build.
I watched a Carvin or what ever their new name is where they CNC everything.
What you are doing is an art.
How do you plan on finishing them?
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I am sorry I am late to the game, but this is an amazing old school build.
I watched a Carvin or what ever their new name is where they CNC everything.
What you are doing is an art.
How do you plan on finishing them?
Hiya, I thought no one was very interested so I gave up posting updates. They have been sprayed clear nitro for the sides and backs and black covered by clear on the front. They are hanging up now in a wardrobe hardening off for a few more weeks
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5219-jpg.3112281/)
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5220-jpg.3112282/)
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Please keep posting.
I'm anxious to see them finished.
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Please keep posting.
I'm anxious to see them finished.
It will be a few weeks now, I only finished spraying them yesterday afternoon, they got 2 coats of sanding sealer the backs got 16 coats of clear and the tops 3 or 4 coats of black and 14 coats of clear on top. My spraygun is a good one and put's down a very thin coat but still there is a lot of lacquer on there to gas off
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I didn't comment because I'm blown away by the fine work. Keep it coming.
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awesome!
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Looking great in black! Keep up the good work, i'm enjoying it.
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Oh yeah I'm definitely enjoying watching this project progress! Keep it coming!
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They are hanging up now in a wardrobe hardening off for a few more weeks.
(https://images.talkbass.com/attachments/img_5220-jpg.3112282/)
Getting better.. Iiiin your wardrooobe...
Had to :) Seriously, I can't see anybody here not wanting to see updates on these two. In general, there is not much action here during summer, but these days I suppose we are getting back on track. I follow the updates with great interest, the basses look stunning :)
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Well done! They're going to look great with hardware. Keep the updates coming please.
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Getting better.. Iiiin your wardrooobe...
Didn't have time to take a better picture, it was one o clock and time for lunch :mrgreen:
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Didn't have time to take a better picture, it was one o clock and time for lunch :mrgreen:
Bum de dum de dum...
We are very interested!
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Great thread! Keep us in the loop!
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Fantastic work!
This forum is relatively small, but enthusiastic.
Just because folks don't always reply doesn't mean they're not following along.
:)
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Please, keep posting! This is a very interesting trip! I love to see your pictures of the travel! I'm sure most of us, here at the Outpost, are more then a bit interested! So, keep up the good work!
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Don't worry, I'll keep posting but for the next few weeks they will just be drying off. As soon as the lacquer is hard enough to work with again I'll update :)
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Just found this build thread of yours after seeing The Triplets.
Lovely!!!!
I'm watching!